This invention relates to collapsible containers, and more particularly to laundry hampers that are collapsible.
Laundry hampers are commonly used in the home to collect and store laundry for later washing. The hampers disclosed in the prior art include two basic types: free-standing containers and collapsible support frame/bag designs. The free-standing containers typically are rectangular or oval in shape and are made of a hard, non-flexible material, such as plastic or wicker. With their rigid construction, these containers take up the same amount of space whether empty, partially full, or full of laundry. Thus, they are often too bulky to fit into narrow storage closets or tight spaces in a laundry room. Furthermore, because they are not collapsible they are not easily moved from one place to another or easily stored.
Several designs of foldable hampers exist. These hampers typically include a relatively heavy metallic framework that supports a separate, cloth or mesh bag that loosely hangs from the top of the framework and is removably attached thereto. While appropriate for some commercial and/or large scale applications, these prior art designs have several features that make them ill-suited for use in a home environment.
In-home use foldable hampers also exist, that include relatively light-weight materials forming a framework that supports a separate, cloth or mesh bag that hangs loosely from the top of the framework, or is attached to the framework all the way around.